$ETTLE UP: A House Divided >> What Americans Really Want?

Americans feel that it's more important to stop bad policies than pass good ones, according to a new poll by USA TODAY/Bipartisan Policy Center. The poll may have uncovered a new trend in American civil society in which citizens increasingly prefer polarization to progress in Congress. The reason? Distrust that the government can actually produce good policies.

If true, this trend is especially troubling given the issues that require policy action by lawmakers sooner rather than later: including, but not limited to, immigration, tax reform, entitlement spending and inequality. Many, including former Fed Chairmen Ben Bernanke, at least in part, blame the recent economic paralysis in the US economy on the political dysfunction between Congress and White House that hampers effective federal policy. If the US economy is to overcome its own inertia and thrive, action by Congress is surely needed to produce good policies not just block out bad. Maybe in doing so, policymakers can regain the public trust.